This invention relates to a lifting and lowering apparatus, and more particularly to such an apparatus useful to persons experiencing difficulty in arising from bed.
Persons who had experienced debilitating diseases and confinement to bed are aware of the difficulties which can be posed by arising from the supine position lying abed to a standing position where muscles have been weakened, including the frustration of having limited strength and ability to control movement yet being dependent upon others for arising. It is frequently the case that persons weakened by such disease are capable of independent movement where aids to such movement are available.
It has been proposed heretofore to provide such aids for certain activities. Examples are found in Jenkins U.S. Pat. No. 1,349,674; Hassold U. S. Pat. No. 2,498,853; Upshaw U.S. Pat. No. 2,673,987; Steinemann U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,411; Pearce U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,806; and Love U. S. Pat. No. 4,587,678. Several of these prior disclosures retain the characteristic of requiring the attention of another person for moving a person to be aided. However, none address the specific problem of assisting a person in arising from a bed to a standing position or moving from a standing position to a position on a bed.
The present invention is directed specifically to the problem of assisting a person in arising from a bed to a standing position or moving from a standing position to a position on a bed.